Sinigagliesi



19.56 A. SINIGAGLIESI 2,736,035

SEAMLESS ELASTIC DRAWERS Filed April '7, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR F 7 a ALBERTO \S/N/GAGL/IES ATTORNEYS Feb. 28, 1956 A. SlNlGAGLIESl SEAMLESS ELASTIC DRAWERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April '7, 1955 INVENTOR A LBERTO SIN/GAGL/E ATTORNEY United States Patent SEAMLESS ELASTIC DRAWERS Alberto Sinigagliesi, Turin, Italy Application April 7, 1953, Serial No. 347,327

Claims priority, application Italy June 7, 1952 1 Claim. cm- 224 This invention relates to new and useful improvements in elastic'drawers or undergarments and particularly to that type of undergarment primarily designed for men and known in the trade as shorts or briefs, although in certain forms the invention could be utilized in ladies briefs or undergarments.

It is an object of the invention to form such an undergarment from a single piece of tubular knitted fabric with: out any connection seams on the side. h

It is a further object of the invention to form the undergarment with a waist band portion consisting of a special elastic knitted fabric to fit the wearer like a girdle, while the lower portion of the garment consists of normal knitted fabric of conventional thread, whereby the undergarment serves to provide a restraining or compressing action on the wearers body throughout the lower abdominal region and the hips while the lower portion of the garment gives normal and gentle support as in conventional mens undergarments with freedom of body movement without binding.

The tubular knitted fabric from which the drawers are made is preferably formed with a part slightly increasing in diameter from the upper edge thereof down through the hip portion to about the beginning of the thigh portion, which part may be termed the waist band portion, and a part of slightly decreasing diameter from the beginning of the thigh portion to the bottom of the intended garment. The lower part of decreasing diameter in the formation of the garment is cut and edged on the sides to form the usual passages for the thighs and the two loose ends front and back are sewn together at the bottom to form the crotch portion and a suitable strengthening patch is added to the crotch portion.

The elastic knitted fabric which forms the waist band or girdle portion of the garment is formed by knitting into the fabric a suitable rubber or elastic thread. The rubber or elastic thread is interlaced between the rounds of the network of the conventional non-elastic thread in a substantially straight path, as will be readily understood.

This invention is clearly shown in the enclosed drawings, where:

Fig. 1 is a front view of one form of seamless elastic drawers;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view of the elastic knitted fabric of the waist band portion of the undergarment, clearly showing the setting of the rubber or elastic thread in the non-elastic thread of the fabric;

Fig. 3 is a front view of a modified form of elastic undergarment; and

Fig. 4 is a front view of still another modification of the invention.

As shown in Fig. 1, the drawers or undergarment is formed from a single piece of tubular knitted fabric, the upper portion 1 of which forming the waist band portion is knitted with a slightly increasing diameter beginning with the top edge thereof and passing down through the intended hip area to the beginning of the "ice the wearers thighs and with the free lower ends 7 sewn.

together as at 4 to form the crotch of the garment. Y

The waist band portion 1 is formed of elastic knittedfabric as shown in Fig. 2', as will be described hereinafter,

with its upper edge 5 folded and sewed according to con,-

ventional practice. The side cuts forming the thigh open: ings are edged by folding over and sewing as shown at 6' likewise according to conventional practice. In the;lower crotch portion 7 of the garment, a single strengthening patch 9 of knitted fabric is placed inside the crotch and fixed to the main body of the garment by means of stitching 88 at the front and rear edges. -The side edges of the patch 9 are preferably sewed into the folded over edge seams 6 ofthe thigh openings 3 as will be readily understood. Y a 4 Now referring to thespecial e'lastic knitted fabric ofthe waist band portion .1, diagrammatically shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it willbe observed that the conventional knitted fabric network of non-elastic thread is indicated as at 10 with the elastic or rubber thread or bandv 11 extending horizontally straight through the knitted fabric and interlacing between the meshes of the nonelastic threads 10. By so incorporating; the elastic thread 11 in the waist band portion 1 of the tubular knitted fabric that portion of the fabric, although stretchable in a horizontal direction, serves to provide abdominal support and imparts a restraining and comprmsing action on the body of the wearer in the area covered by this portion 1.

The undergarment, constructed in accordance with this invention, besides being exceptionally comfortable to the wearer and providing abdominal support and confining action on the hips, similar to a girdle, has the advantage of being very simple in construction and hence cheaply fabricated. By virtue of the specially constructed waist band portion and the lower conventional knitted portion the undergarment permits normal body movements while at the same time avoiding exceeding tensions and binding, which besides rendering the garment exceedingly troublesome and irritable to the wearer would seriously endanger the life of the garment itself.

In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, are shown two modifications of the present invention in which a fly opening is provided in the garment. In each instance the main portion of the undergarment is constructed in similar manner to the garment shown in Fig. 1 as hereofore described and similar reference numerals are used to indicate similar parts. I

In the Fig. 4 form the undergarment is identical to the Fig. 1 form except the front of the lower portion 2 of the garment is provided with the fly opening 13, the edges of which are suitably folded and/or rolled and stitched as generally indicated at 14. To suitably reinforce the opening 13 and prevent the fabric from tearing reinforcing patches 17-17 may be added and stitched at the end of the openings. A separate piece of knitted fabric 15 covers the fiy opening, which covering preferably is triangularly shaped and disposed as shown in the drawing and stitched in place by the lines of stitching 16-16. It will be understood that one side of the triangularly shaped member 15, such as the side indicated at 17, will not be stitched to the front of the garment, so as to provide suitable acoess from the exterior to the fly opening.

In the Fig. 3 embodiment of the invention the undergarment is constructed the same as the Fig. 1 form of the invention, except that a ditferent form of reinforcement for the crotch portion 7 is employed which not only reinforces the crotch of the garment but also, extends upwardly therefrom to provide a suitable covering for a fly opening 13. Instead of utilizing the inner crotch reinforcing member 9 as employed in the embodiments of Figs. 1 and 4, the Fig. 3 construction employs. a separate piece of knitted fabric 9" which lies outside of the crotch portion 7 of the garment and is stitched. at the rear by the line of stitching 8 with the. side portions 18v and 19 folded inwardly around the thigh openings 3 and stitched therewith during the stitching of the folded edges 6. The crotch reinforcing piece 9' is also provided with an extension 12 which extends upwardly over thefiy opening 13 and. is stitched to the main body of the garment at 20 at the bottom of the Waist band portion 1. Itwill be understood that the extension 12 is not sewed to the body portion 2 at the sides: thereof between the stitching lines 20 and the stitching at, the thigh openings 3 and hence access to the fly opening may be had from either side of the extention 12.

I claim:

An. undergarment of' the class described comprising an upper girdle portion and a lower portion formed from a single tubular knitted fabric, the upper girdle portion being formed of the same knitted fabric as the lower por tion, said uppergirdlet portion only having an elastic thread spirally: interlaced between the meshes of the knitted fabric thereof, the lower portion being diagonally cut on each Side. and, edged to provide openings for the wearers thighs with front and back lower free ends, the lower free ends at the front and back of the garment being stitched together to form a crotch portion for said garment, the lower portion being provided with a fly opening in the front thereof, and a reinforcing patch secured to the outside of said crotch portion of the garment extending from the bottom of theseat, portion at the rear of the garment forwardly over said crotch portion and upwardly over said fly opening with the upper edge thereof secured to the upper part of the lower portion of said garment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 508,429 Lewis et al. Nov. 14, 1893 1,774,613 Pidgeon. Sept. 2, 1930 1,993,676 Manny et al. Mar. 5, 1935 2,074,119 Boysen et al. Mar. 16, 19-37 2,235,848 Reis t Mar. 28, 1941 2,623,210 Chatfield t Dec. 30, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 678,623 GreatBritain, Sept. 3, 1952 1,014,066 France Aug. 8, 1952 

